The clash of steel against enchanted gauntlet sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Sparks scattered in the air as Blake's glowing holy sword met the cyan-wrapped fist. The sheer force of the impact carved deep fissures into the earth, sending rubble flying in all directions.
For a brief moment, they were locked in a deadly standstill before both combatants broke away, the force of their collision pushing them apart. The craters beneath their feet trembled as if the ground itself had been caught in the aftershock.
Then, in a blink, a streak of silver light tore through the sky, carrying with it a battered figure Kokabiel.
Only now did the attacker's form become fully visible.
Draped in gleaming silver-white armor, the newcomer exuded an aura of overwhelming power. A brilliant blue gemstone pulsed at the center of his chest plate, with smaller gems embedded into the arm and leg armor. And behind him, a pair of magnificent azure wings spread wide, radiating energy so intense it sent chills down the spine of everyone present.
"The White Dragon Emperor?!"
Rias and the others gasped in unison, their voices laced with shock.
Hovering above them with Kokabiel in his grasp, Vali Lucifer smirked. His gaze swept over the battlefield with casual amusement, not even acknowledging the stunned expressions of the Gremory group.
"White Dragon Emperor? you here to bail out this worthless trash?"
Blake's voice was calm, indifferent. His crystal-blue eyes met Vali's without a hint of fear.
"Heh, not my choice, really," Vali admitted, adjusting his grip on Kokabiel. "Azazel asked me to retrieve him. But, I gotta say... you're a lot stronger than I expected."
His words carried a tone of genuine intrigue, as if he had just stumbled upon something truly fascinating.
Blake remained unfazed. His gaze flicked toward Vali's glowing wings.
"Put him down and leave," Blake commanded, his voice low and steady. "Or I'll make sure you don't leave with those wings intact."
At the same time, his right eye shifted. From a crystalline blue, it turned a deep crimson, emitting a strange, eerie glow.
Vali raised an eyebrow, seemingly unfazed. "You think I actually care what happens to Kokabiel? The guy's already dead weight. But orders are orders. I have to bring him back."
The energy around Vali's wings rippled as he prepared to leave. He didn't seem particularly concerned about the tension in the air.
"We'll meet again," Vali said, a sly smirk tugging at his lips. "And something tells me that day isn't far off."
With that, he turned, intending to vanish into the horizon.
But Blake had no intention of letting him leave so easily.
A surge of violent magic erupted around him.
Excalibur flared to life, its radiance intensifying to an almost blinding degree. The sheer pressure of the energy distorted the air itself. And then
Blake poured everything into his next attack. The Excalibur burned with an intense light as he unleashed a strike amplified tenfold by his Sword Spirit Magic.
A beam of pure destruction roared upward, cutting through the atmosphere like a divider.
Vali's eyes widened in alarm.
Instinct kicked in. He abandoned Kokabiel, shifting into high gear to avoid the incoming attack.
The devastating beam of light swallowed Kokabiel whole, disintegrating him instantly erasing every last trace of his existence.
But even Vali, despite his speed, didn't escape unscathed.
His left wing was caught in the blast. It shattered on impact, the blue energy dispersing into glowing fragments.
And yet, the attack did not stop there.
The overwhelming force of the strike tore through the academy's protective barriers, pierced the sky itself, and kept going.
Until it left the Earth's atmosphere entirely shattering a satellite in orbit before finally vanishing into the void of space.
A cold shiver ran down the spines of everyone watching.
Even with Kanna shielding them from the blast's residual shockwaves, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Asia, and Kiba stood frozen, their faces pale.
If that attack had been aimed at them... they wouldn't have survived.
As for Xenovia and Irina? Their brains had simply stopped working. Processing what they had just witnessed was beyond them.
Meanwhile, in the air, Vali hovered in stunned silence, his remaining wing flickering weakly as he channeled his magic to repair it.
Inside his mind, a voice finally broke the silence.
"Vali, you do realize you almost died just now, right?"
The voice belonged to Albion, the dragon residing within his Sacred Gear. There was a rare hint of unease in his usually composed tone.
Vali let out a slow breath, his expression unreadable.
"...Yeah. That was way too close," he admitted. "If I had hesitated for even a fraction of a second, I'd be gone."
The sheer holy nature of that attack made it particularly lethal to him. His Devil blood left him vulnerable to light-based assaults but that? That was beyond anything he had ever seen.
Blake's sword strike wasn't just powerful.
For the first time in a long while, a deep thrill ran through Vali's veins.
He had been searching for a worthy opponent for so long... and now, he had found one.
"This is getting really interesting," he murmured, his lips curling into an eager grin. "I was starting to get bored, y'know? Couldn't find anyone on my level. But him? He might actually be the real deal."
Albion sighed, sensing the shift in Vali's mood. "You truly are the strongest White Dragon Emperor of all time. No normal person would react after nearly getting obliterated."
Vali laughed, rolling his shoulders as his magic finally stabilized his damaged wing.
His gaze flickered back to Blake, who stood firm below, his face pale but his expression cold and unshaken.
"Hey," Vali called down, his voice carrying across the battlefield. "What's your name?"
Blake didn't immediately respond. Instead, he simply met Vali's gaze with the same unwavering confidence.
"You should introduce yourself first, White Dragon Emperor," Blake said with a calmly.
Vali chuckled. "Fair enough. Name's Vali. And as you already figured out, I'm this generation's White Dragon Emperor."
He said it with the kind of self-assured pride that only came from knowing exactly how strong he was.
Blake met his energy with a simple, unshaken response.
Vali grinned. "Blake, huh? Got it. I won't forget that name."
There was no mockery in his tone only raw, unfiltered excitement.
"We will fight one day," Vali declared, his battle intent flaring to its peak. "And when that happens, don't disappoint me."
With those final words, he turned, transforming into a streak of silver light, and shot off into the distance disappearing into the horizon.
Leaving behind only the echoes of his parting words and the unmistakable feeling that this was just the beginning.
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